“My understanding is that it’s all part of the acclimation process. To lead you and Miss Harper up to the signing ceremony.” The last words tasted terrible in my mouth, but I had to swallow the bitterness of it. Whatever happened, it was entirely possible that Alicia was going to have to marry this monster before I could figure out a way to extract her. Sure, technically she could say no at the end of the thirty days, but if I knew Varon, he had something up his sleeve to force her to say yes. I just didn’t know what it was just yet.
“The only thing that is supposed to happen for these thirty days is her pussy on the end of my dick!”
I winced at the image as he made a show of thrusting his hips forward. Then he lurched back over to the bar to top up his glass, spilling a fair amount of it in the process.
“Shit! God fucking damnit!” He flung the bottle against the fireplace, and it shattered among the pieces of the tumbler he had just sent that way. Any number of times I had seen him drunk, even belligerently so, but there was something different bubbling under the surface in that moment, a darker kind of violence.
“Sir…” I had no idea what I thought I was going to say, but it didn’t matter in the end. An alert went up on his infopad and he snatched it up from the arm of the sofa. He looked at it and rubbed his free hand over his face. “Fuck.” His voice was different, cowed, like all the air had gone out of him—something was definitely up.
Varon tossed the pad onto the sofa. The screen was still live, and I strained to see what might be on it. He looked into the fireplace at the mess he had made, then crossed to the door and leaned out.
“Hey? HEY! Can we get some more whiskey in here?”
This was my chance. While he was hanging out the door howling for service, I ducked to the sofa and snapped up his pad. There were messages upon messages from any number of his companies—and the picture they painted was grim. I knew Varon had been loose with money, and bad at running a race, let alone a company. But what little I could read spelled financial ruin on a grand scale.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
My blood turned to ice, and I looked up, to see Varon on the verge of berating some poor employee in the hallway. Not wanting to tempt fate any further, I tossed the pad back on the sofa and went back to where I had been standing.
“I’m sorry, sir,” a weak voice came from the hallway.
“Damn right you are! You’re a sorry, pathetic, worthless little… whatever… Now don’t let me see your face again until you’ve got a bottle in each hand.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Two bottles in each hand,” Varon shouted back through the door as he shambled back into the room. “What are you still doing here?”
“Sir?”
“I said WHAT. THE. FUCK. ARE YOU. STILL DOING HERE?”
“Did you want me to leave?”
“Yes, I do. Go get that little Alice… Alisha? Just get that little piece of ass and bring her back here.”
“She’s in the bath, sir.”
“What?” There was a new edge in his eyes, and he began to close the distance to me.
“After the day out in the sun and beginning a night of camping, she wanted to freshen up before coming back to you tonight. Sir.”
“Is that right?” Varon was very close to me now, and I could smell three or four different kinds of alcohol on his breath. “Well, then, you had better go and get her, if you have to drag her naked and sopping wet through this place by her hair!”
I didn’t move. There was no way I was bringing Alicia to this room tonight. Everything about Varon’s behavior told me that, if something bad was going to happen, this was the night for it. I stiffened my resolve and held my ground.
Everything about Varon went even darker. “You’re not moving, Razar.” An ugly smile worked its way across his mouth. “Am I going to have to teach you what it means to disobey me? I can just stroll over to that fireplace, grab what’s left of that bottle, and cut your throat.”
That was it. I was just going to have to headbutt this filthy fucker and toss him out the window.
“I wouldn’t do that,” a sultry voice came from the doorway. We both looked, to see Alicia standing on the threshold in a dress that clung to her every curve. “If you cut his throat, you’ll get blood all over this nice rug.”
Our jaws dropped. She looked good, better than good. The dress rode low, revealing an acre of magnificent cleavage. A slit came so far up the side that I could see the full curve of her hip. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. A lump tied itself up in my gut.
“You look great, my pet.” Suddenly, Varon was all smiles. He whistled through his teeth, “This was definitely worth the wait.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Alicia glided into the room, and Varon made his way over to meet her. He was on the point of putting his mouth on her when he seemed to remember that I was there.
“Can’t you take the hint, dumbass? Time to make your exit.”
Every fiber within me cried out to stay, but I found myself moving to the door, grimly remembering the determined look in her eyes when she’d asked me to trust her. Let her do her part so I could do mine. With each step, I was cataloguing the things I could smash over his head. The lamp. The side table. The sofa.
As I passed Alicia, our eyes met for the briefest moment, and I could see real fear. She was doing a masterful job of hiding it, unless you knew her as well as I did. ‘Hurry,’ she was saying quietly. I wanted to—but how?
When the door closed behind me, it was as if I couldn’t breathe. My chest went tight, and spots danced in front of my eyes. What had I done? I had just left the woman I cared about so deeply, shut up in there with that repulsive little thug. I respected her strength, but she didn’t know the depths of Varon’s depravity like I did.
But, then again, this was part of the Protocols and we had to maintain the charade until I figured something out. No matter what I felt for her, the Protocols had to be followed, and to break them was a nearly insurmountable crime, so my plan had to be airtight. Still, was leaving Alicia in there to be the victim to his attacks any better than the alternative?
Letting all my rage out at once, I turned and slammed my fist against the wall. It let out a satisfying crunch and I was seriously debating taking another swing when my eyes focused on the wall. There, right beside the dent where my fist was settled, was the emergency pull-switch.
Alicia
“Now that we’re alone, do you fancy a drink?”
No. Nope. Not at all. I didn’t ‘fancy a drink.’ In point of fact, I had never ‘fancied a drink’ with anyone who would use that expression with me.
“I’d love one.”
“Excellent.” He smiled that smarmy smile of his and started making his way to the bar. “What would you like?” Pretty much everything was empty. “I wish I had more options, but it seems like the variety here is woefully lacking.”
“You don’t say?” I couldn’t resist a little jab. “You’ll need to have a word with the owner, won’t you?” There was a flash of something vicious in his face, which he did his best to bury in a smile. That flash of anger told me I needed to backtrack on my jab. “I’ll just have what you’re having.” Batting my eyelashes was going to have to do the trick.
“I’m afraid that’s not exactly possible at the moment,” he said, doing his best to make a casual gesture to the fireplace. It was wet with liquor and full of broken glass. A tiny prickle ran up my spine—this whole situation was incredibly dangerous.
“A little accident?”
“Something like that.” He was suddenly far closer to me than I was ready for. “May I say, you look ravishing tonight. You’ve always been stunning, my darling, but tonight there is only one word for you: ravishing.”
I forced a laugh, but he continued, “Tell me, Alicia, have you ever been ravished?” Every hair on my body stood on end.
“To be honest, I can’t say I have.” Despite all the alarms firing off ins
ide me, I was doing my best to be casual and made my way to sit on the sofa.
“Oh, it’s delightful.” He followed and slid down beside me, pressing up as close to me as he could manage. Everything from his breath to his clothes reeked of alcohol. “It might be a little uncomfortable at first,” he ran a finger up my arm, “but, I can assure you that I’ve never had a single complaint.”
Hooking his finger under the strap of my dress, he pulled it down my shoulder. With just another tug, he might have even pulled it all the way down until my breast was exposed.
“Ooooh!” I did my best Monroe, “That tickles!” Giggling, I pulled the strap safely back up to my shoulder. A little daunted, I saw him register my resistance and press forward.
“That’s not the only thing that tickles.” Varon’s hand found the area just above the knee where I had always been sensitive, then eased its way up, nudging open the slit in my dress as it did. Just when he was about to reveal everything I wanted to hide from him, I swatted his hand away and stood up. This coy, giggling game was only going to last so long—I could barely force the giggles out from between gritted teeth.
“Maybe you should have another drink,” I cooed at him, bending over to flash some cleavage. It was a cheap move, and my stomach churned at it, but I was running out of options. Keeping him off balance was the only way I could buy time until I figured out what to do next.
“I’m probably going to need one.” He got up and carefully made his way over to the bar, draining his glass as he did. “You can’t keep this up forever, you know.”
“What?” My heart started to pound.
“This cute little… whatever it is that you’re doing.” His manner changed again as he ogled me from across the room. “Still. It is cute. Very cute.” With unsteady steps, Varon started weaving his way over to me.
“Oh, you think so?” It was hard to try to evade him without looking like that’s exactly what I was doing, but I was committed to giving it the best shot I could.
“I do think so. Is that your game? A little hard to get, hmm? Cat and mouse?”
“Where did you learn that expression—you don’t have cats out here, do you?”
“No, we don’t. No cats. Only pussies, isn’t that right?” The way he said it soured my stomach. I’ve always hated that word, and even more so coming out of a filthy wretch like Varon.
“You’re so clever,” I laughed.
“I know it.” Suddenly, he had a hold of my wrist. I’m not sure how he managed it—one second it seemed like he was across the room, but now he had a firm grip on me. “Why don’t you come over here and find out just how clever I can be?”
Making a show of rubbing his hand, I was doing my level best to try and pry his fingers free. He held fast and pulled at me. I resisted, trying to make it look like a flirty game of tug-of-war. We were both laughing, but the façade on both sides was starting to crack.
“I said, come over here.” With a solid yank, he pulled me up against him. “Now, then. That’s better, isn’t it?” I could feel his cock through his pants, and he ground it against my leg to make sure I was aware of it. “So, so much better,” he whispered as he let his hands wander down to grab my ass.
“Now, now,” I said, struggling to maintain my cool. “That’s not very gentlemanly, is it?”
“Maybe I don’t feel very much like a gentleman right now.”
“Are you sure I couldn’t still get that drink?”
“We should probably work up our thirst first, don’t you think?” Abandoning my backside, his hands were finding their way back up to the straps of my dress. I was painfully aware that with a few brisk moves, he could have me completely naked. It wasn’t a thought I relished.
“Listen,” I said, taking his hands. “After the long day, I’m getting very tired. Why not let me go, hmm?”
“You don’t even know what tired is yet, my pet.”
“Come on. Let me go.” The mask slipped and I started really working to pull away from him. He held me hard by the wrists, and did everything he could to pull our bodies together again. Anything playful drained out of it, and we fell into a true struggle.
Varon may not have looked like much, but he had one hell of a grip when he was determined. As I worked to pull away from him, he edged me around until the back of my legs butted up against the sofa. Adrenaline shot through my system, and I knew that I was trapped.
Releasing my wrists, one of his arms snaked down and clamped around my waist, while the other began the familiar tug at the top of my dress. He was determined to get me naked, and I had to stop it. Instincts kicked in, and I fell back on the oldest trick in the female bartender’s handbook.
Reeling back as best I could with the sofa behind me, I shot my knee forward as hard as I could into his crotch. It wasn’t a direct hit, but definitely enough to get his attention. He lurched forward, cupping the area where I had connected, and I was able to slither out and put some distance between us.
Unfortunately, my initial lunge took me toward the fireplace instead of the door. With him doubled over the back of the sofa, my best chance was to try and get by him. Gritting my teeth, I bolted to make a run for it.
Varon proved how slippery he could be and stuck a foot out just in time to trip me. I didn’t fall hard, but it was enough to daze me for a moment. Looking up, I saw how close I had come to smacking my head against the table.
“You really think you’re something, don’t you?” Varon was straightening himself up and glaring down at me. “It’s like you don’t have the first idea who you’re fucking with. I’m not someone you can just play games with.” By now he was by the fireplace, and he bent over to pick up a hunk of the broken bottle.
“It looks like I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.” I started to scramble backwards away from him. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t cut you anywhere that will show.”
A scream filled the room, and for a second, I wondered if it was coming from me. But it was far too loud for that. Varon dropped the shard of glass and reached up to cover his ears. It was the alarm system—I had literally been saved by the bell.
With three solid thumps, the door just beside my head crashed open, and Razar stood there, looking like the Wrath of God ready to rain down in this room. After all that had just happened, I was more than ready for a front-row seat.
Razar
“Razar, what the fuck is going on?”
From where I was standing, I could tell that I had pulled my little gambit just in time. Alicia was sprawled on the floor, and it was a marvel I hadn’t smacked her in the head when the door swung open. She looked up at me, her eyes grim and shooting flames.
Every drop of my blood was boiling, ordering me to charge at the entitled little shit and clobber him into the fireplace. It would have been so satisfying to grind his face into all that broken glass, but I had to keep my wits about me. There was a longer game to be played here. Still, it was hard to keep my brains from scrambling with the blaring alarm tearing through the suite.
“Sir!” My mouth was moving before my brain could catch up. “There’s an emergency!”
“No shit,” he shouted, waving his arms at the noise. “Tell me something I don’t know, you idiot.”
Gritting down further against the impulse to tackle him, I plowed on. “It’s a security breach of some kind. Someone is storming the casino.” It was the best I could manage in the moment, and I hoped his paranoia would seize on the scenario. Judging from the way the color drained out of his face, I was right on target.
“Wait, what?!” Alicia’s face flooded with panic, and I took advantage of Varon’s preoccupation to give her a wink. She immediately picked up on the cue. “You have to save us, Razar!”
“Us? Are you insane? Fuck ‘us,’ save ME!” He was proving to be more of a knight in shining armor every second. Varon’s bloodshot eyes fixed on me, and all I could see was sheer terror. It felt great.
“I knew this was going to happen.” He was pac
ing in a circle now, rambling like a maniac. “This is what I get for getting mixed up with those fuckers. I should have known better. Shit, I did know better, but never thought it would come to this.” He wheeled on me again. “It’s the Rippers, isn’t it?”
“What?” I was stunned.
“The Rippers, asshole! What are you, deaf? The goddamn Rippers! It’s them, isn’t it?”
Thunderstruck, I stole a glance down at Alicia, and she gave me the tiniest nod. Okay, we were going with this one. Setting my face in the grimmest expression I could muster, I locked eyes with Varon.
“Yes, sir. It’s terrible out there.”
“Oh, shit.” His knees buckled, and Varon crumpled where he stood. When a bit of glass dug through his pants and into his knee, he hissed out more expletives, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at him.
“It’s a bloodbath,” I improvised, laying it on thicker to enjoy wringing him out. “There’s no telling how many casualties there have been already. The casino…”
“Fuck the casino!!” Varon surged to his feet and stormed over to me, seizing me by the shirt. “You’ve got to get me out of this, Razar. I’ll give you anything you want. Just don’t let those bastards get their hands on me—please!” Tears were running down his face and I swear I could smell piss running down his legs.
“Take me with you.” Alicia clambered up and clung to Varon’s arm. It was a masterful performance, and I almost wondered for a second if she thought all of this was real.
“Get your goddamn hands off me, Alix!” He shoved her away, and over his shoulder I could see Alicia mouthing to me, ‘Did he just call me Alix?’ Again, I bit my lips to keep from breaking down into laughter over this farce. Varon nearly turned over his shoulder to look at her, but I seized his head in my hands and forced him to look at me.
“Sir. The safe room. We have to get you to the safe room, now!”
Razar Page 9
